Jon Milan - Iconic Restaurants of Ann Arbor

ICONIC
RESTAURANTS OF

ANN ARBOR

FRONT COVER (clockwise from upper left): Del Rios illustrated transom window (Courtesy of Susan Wineberg and the Bentley Historical Library), Drakes Sandwich shop (Photograph by Jim Rees); Pretzel Bell sign (Authors collection), Zingermans Delicatessen (Authors collection), Le Dog (Courtesy of Jules and Ika Van Dyck-Dobos); Fleetwood Diner (Authors collection)

UPPER BACK COVER: Old Heidelberg matchbook (obverse and reverse) (Authors collection)

LOWER BACK COVER (from left to right): Brown Jug medallion sign (Authors collection), Pizza Bobs (Authors collection), Cottage Inn sign (Authors collection), and Betsy Ross Shop blotter (Authors collection)

ICONIC
RESTAURANTS OF

ANN ARBOR

JON MILAN AND GAIL OFFEN
INTRODUCTION BY ARI WEINZWEIG

Copyright 2016 by Jon Milan and Gail Offen
ISBN 978-1-4671-1733-3
Ebook ISBN 9781439657676

Published by Arcadia Publishing
Charleston, South Carolina

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016937471

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Telephone 843-853-2070
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My lifelong kinship with Ann Arbor went from visitor to student to resident and back to visitor. And food has always been a huge part of it. As a child, I spent all my summers nearby and was lucky enough to have a bon vivant, food-obsessed uncle. Thanks to Uncle Mort, I tasted my first limeade at Drakes, Chicken in the Rough at Curtis, chop suey at Leo Pings, Thompsons Pizza, DeLongs sweet potato pie, egg rolls and chap chae at Kosmos, muffins at Afternoon Delight, fragels at the Bagel Factory, a Detburger at Del Rio and lobster bisque at Le Dog.

And very possibly all in one day.

Every generation of permanent, or temporary, Ann Arbor residents has their own longing, their own Drakes. A place they visit every time they are in town, or wish they still could. So, just like pizza toppings, this book is highly subjective. The debate rages on. And so does our appetite for Ann Arbor. Thanks, Uncle Mort.

Gail M. Offen, 2016

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book was made possible through the efforts, assistance, generosity, patience, and support of many. For that reason, we would like to extend as special thank you to the following individuals: McCabe Ash, Robbie Babcock, Diana Bachman, Maggie Bayless, Erin Bedolla, Jim Brandstatter, Laurie Brown, Camp Michigania Seventh Week Campers, Amy Cantu, Leonard A. Coombs, Frank Corollo, Monique Deschaine, Ray Detter, Katie Dixon, Jules and Ika Van Dyck-Dobos, Cindy Edwards, Ena, Murray Engel, Jessie Gerstenberger, Mike Gibbons, Sharon Gillespie, Tom Hackett, Betsy Hartwell, Roger F. Hewitt, Chris Hill, Liliani Ho, Dan Hunstbarger, Rick Ingalls, Tom Isaia, Tessie Ives-Wilson, Andy Jacobs, Alex Kales, Don Knight, Sara Konigsberg, Don Kosmo Kwon, Carl Lagler, Janice Bluestein Langone, Nikki Leibold, Clayton Lewis, Chelsea Lund, Andrew MacLaren, Louie Marr, Sarah McLusky, John McPartlin, Mike Monahan, R. Michael Mike Montgomery (posthumous), Dennis Moosbrugger, Malgosia Myc, Jerry Offen, Michael Olejnik, Lora Parlove, Chris Pawlicki, Sherry Perkins, Rick Peshkin, Jeffrey Pickell, Pamela Pietryga, Jay Platt, Nikki Polizzi, Doug Price, Kerry Price, Charles A. Rasch (posthumous), Tim Redmond, Ruth Reichl, Bonnie Ross, Randy Schwartz, Jeremy Sell, Paul Saginaw, Grace Shackman, Dick Siegel, Don Simons, Rudy Simons, Wystan Stevens (posthumous), Susie Sutter, Emily Swenson, Craig Tascius, Villabeth Taylor, David V. Tinder , Robert Vedro, Dennis Webster, Ari Weinzweig, Rita Whidby, Julie A. White, Karen Wight, Susan Wineberg, Phil Zaret, and, as always, Randy Samuels, Heres to You!

Special thanks to Ari Weinzweig for his foreword and his forward thinking. You were generous with your time and connections. We appreciate all your help, Ari.

Thanks to Jan Longone, founder and curator of the Janice Bluestein-Longone Culinary Archive (JBLCA) in the Special Collections Library, Hatcher Graduate Library, University of Michigan. Her culinary archive of over 25,000 items is one of the worlds largest, and her personal cookbook collection is legendary. Jan, thanks for your kindness and incredible food knowledge. We look forward to your Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor meetings.

Susan Wineberg is an author, historian, archivist, and indispensable! Susans books alone are a treasure trove of information, but she was also there for us from the very beginning, meeting us at libraries, and sending us updates, graphics, notes, and tips. She made herself available to us at all hours, and to that we are more grateful than words can express.

Grace Shackman did as much for us in the present as she has in the past. She certainly made herself available to us, even from thousands of miles away, but her books and countless historical articles written for the Ann Arbor Observer allowed us to fill in many blanks and enabled us to piece together a more complete picture of the wonderful restaurants included in this book.

Jules and Ika Van-Dyke Dobos, thanks for a lovely afternoon of coffee, cake, and reminiscing. Jules has wonderful cookbooks, recipes, and, best of all, great stories. We love Le Dog.

Monique Deschaine of Al Dente Pasta in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, thanks for all your connections. You really helped us fill in some missing puzzle pieces. And you make the best pasta!

Rob Vedro is our personal hero! The tireless co-owner of Blue Frog Books in Howell, Michigan, has outdone himself in effort and dedication, not only by processing the many graphics included herein, but by painstakingly constructing collages, transferring slide and video images (one of the many wonderful services he provides) and supervising the electronic packaging of materials. From beginning to end, he has been a tireless and greatly talented part of the teamand we think he has the best bookstore in Howell. Check it out at www.bluefrogbooksandmore.com.

INTRODUCTION

When I came here to go to school back in the mid-1970s, restaurants were the last thing on my mind. Clearly the town had plenty of them, but they played no part at all in my decision to come to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan. Even while I was in school here, food was hardly front of mind. In truth, I do not really even remember a whole lot about what was on my mind. It does not sound very inspiring, but it was probably more about getting by (and something else that rhymes with that) than getting an amazing education, building a career, or carrying on the intellectual tradition of the famous academic institution of which I was one very insignificant part. Although I now write extensively about vision, the truth is that back then I had none. At least nothing very inspiring. I liked Ann Arbor well enough, but in truth I did not see all that much of it. Like most of my peers, I had no car and not much money. Which meant that eating out was a rare event. Getting downtown from campus was no small thingwalking 15 blocks when it is 15 degrees out was not my idea of a great time. Eating out was not even on my agenda. The restaurants were all thereI just did not really make use of most of them.

When I got to my junior year at U of M, I formally declared myself a history major (you have to pick something) and spent much of the following two years studying Russian history. Peter the Great, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Kropotkin, and the Empress Catherine were all prominent on my reading lists. And although I am not personally religious, the Russian Orthodox Church was, of course, a big part of the story. Prayer, church building, and icon painting all played prominent roles in what I was reading. Icons were one of the most interesting, and for those to whom they mattered, one of the most inspirational parts of Russian Orthodox culture. Many believed that they were inspired directly by God. Icons gave people a moment of connection with something bigger than themselves. A trigger to reflect. A setting in which solitude and community could come together in the same space. Some believed they were painted by angels.